The auction was still ongoing.
Lin Shuang wore thick-heeled talisman shoes, making her taller than usual—nearly as tall as Zhou Xuanwu. She carried numerous treasures on her back as she walked away.
Zhao Keran opened her mouth, thinking it was her senior sister, but not quite.
She raised her hand to compare with her own forehead.
Meng Zi also appeared broader at the shoulders than usual. He had used the “Double-Door Shoulder Talisman” given by Lin Shuang. As he stepped forward, people around him instinctively made way.
Zhao Keran glanced at them and finally remained silent.
When Huangpu Yuan saw them all leave, he quickly returned to his room.
The curtain was ruthlessly drawn shut in front of Zhao Keran.
“Little sister, you’re mistaken. Your three senior sisters are still sleeping at the inn,” said Zhao Ming, pulling Zhao Keran away.
Assassins carrying out missions often easily caused disputes.
Besides, how could she stare at an assassin like that?
She would definitely recognize someone from home, right?
Zhou Xuanwu nodded in agreement. “Junior sister, the figure and voice are different.”
Zhao Keran pressed her forehead. She always couldn’t help but instinctively follow the assassin with her eyes.
Well, she couldn’t help it—this assassin was just too handsome.
She could pull out different magical artifacts from her body at any time. This outfit clearly marked her as the “hexagon warrior” her senior sister had described.
“If she and my senior sister knew each other, they would surely become good friends.”
Zhao Keran murmured.
Hmph.
Lin Shuang walked five steps away before finally exhaling in relief.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
[Xiao’ai No.2 (Meng): What was that? You scared me. How did she almost recognize you?]
It was probably because of all the different “treasures” she carried on her back—each one she had practiced with in the cabin numbered 99.
Drip of sweat.
Why did the junior apprentice come here?
But fortunately, the junior apprentice deeply understood the fastest learning method and knew she shouldn’t talk to strangers casually!
Earlier, when she politely declined, the junior apprentice’s eyes wavered as if she wanted to follow.
Lin Shuang nodded in satisfaction. Her junior apprentice was truly a good child.
Soon, she gestured to a young Taoist boy passing through the corridor. “I’m from the Sword Immortal Room on the second floor. I just won an auction…”
She made a gesture of the number three and cautiously looked around.
She pressed on the mask on her face, appearing fearful that someone might overhear.
All the bidders at the auction were anonymous, placing bids from private rooms using transmission talismans.
The buyer’s voice would echo from all directions in the pavilion, and no one would know which room the item was purchased from.
Taking advantage of the empty corridor, she finally spoke. The Taoist boy clearly understood, “Follow me, honored guest.”
He tore open a teleportation talisman, instantly taking her to the room where auction items were collected.
Lin Shuang’s eyes flickered.
Teleportation talisman.
Wang Jian’s servant had also used one.
Soon, Lin Shuang appeared in a transaction room surrounded by scrolls on all sides.
If it weren’t for the fragrant meditation cushion in this study occupied by a cultivator at the Ru Xu stage, whose aura was refined and powerful, she might have mistaken it for an ordinary room.
The Ru Xu cultivator opened his eyes the moment she entered.
He was an old man with wrinkles on his face, expressionless, with a downturned mouth, exuding a cold temperament.
Lin Shuang glanced down instantly, looking at the tomato timer talisman drawn on her hand.
[Retrieving Mao’s Tomato Timer Countdown: 4th second.]
She didn’t know how long Meng Zi would need to go to the left room and lure out the second Ru Xu cultivator.
According to their agreement, she went first and had to stay the longest.
She must ensure that when Huangpu Yuan entered the backstage, both Ru Xu cultivators were at the front.
Therefore, no matter what happened afterward, she couldn’t let the current Ru Xu leave until 150 seconds—the time they agreed upon.
After finishing her thoughts, Lin Shuang instantly became alert, looking around the study like a cautious newcomer at the auction.
“Hmph, the Annihilation Pavilion brought so many weapons here,” said the deep-lipped Ru Xu, casting a displeased glance at Lin Shuang.
“What does this mean?”
Lin Shuang took a timely step back and pressed her hand on the crossbow at her right side. “It seems I haven’t escaped the gaze of a cultivator of your level since entering this place. Impressive, the auction pavilion.”
The old Ru Xu cultivator snorted lightly, his eyes flashing with disdain.
“Your private room repeatedly bid one thousand at a time, then suddenly jumped by ten thousand spirit stones to win the Nine-Thunder Formation Disc and the Ji Zi Illusion Formation. It’s difficult not to catch my attention.”
Lin Shuang nodded.
That’s exactly right.
Your curiosity will help me keep you occupied.
The moment you become curious, even suspicious of me, you’ve already stepped into the first trap of this race against time.
150 seconds will quickly pass unnoticed while you analyze whether I’m lying.
[Retrieving Mao’s Tomato Timer Countdown: 25th second.]
Lin Shuang chuckled softly, her voice husky and low, naturally exuding a melancholic song atmosphere of “lighting a cigarette and enduring a long night.”
“We are assassins who cannot be seen in daylight, our hands stained with countless blood, and many people want our lives.”
“Hunting, being hunted…”
“Like rats in the sewers, every day could be our last.”
As she spoke, she raised her eyes to look at the old man, noticing his expression subtly shift. The downward curve of his mouth deepened involuntarily, his eyes flickering with ferocity before it vanished.
Lin Shuang lowered her eyelids.
Fastest learning method—experience similarity: if the observer has similar negative experiences, those similarities might draw their attention inward, awakening the pain from their own experiences.
The old Ru Xu cultivator didn’t interrupt her, clearly it had been a long time since anyone had spoken like this in front of him.
The demonic cultivators and righteous cultivators, both committing evil acts.
Why are demonic cultivators doomed to lurk in the shadows, while the wicked among the righteous sects still command reverence, gather countless disciples, and bask in splendor?
(Note: The translation preserves the contrast between “邪” (demonic/unorthodox) and “正” (righteous/orthodox) sects, using “demonic cultivators” for stylistic consistency with xianxia/wuxia conventions. The phrasing emphasizes the injustice implied in the original rhetorical question.)
—Lin Shuang’s second trap: gradually PUA the demonic cultivator Ru Xu, leading to the collapse of his mental state.
Cultivators’ minds are hard to shake, but a little resentment toward their superiors can lead to work negligence.
Sure enough, soon the room was knocked on from outside.
“Master,” the Taoist boy’s respectful voice sounded, “a guest has brought a precious treasure. Wu Shangzi would like to invite you to come and take a look.”
Wu Shangzi, the spirit refinement cultivator who was originally in charge of the room where guests exchanged spirit stones?
It was Meng Zi.
He took out the “precious treasure,” leaving the alchemist unable to make a decision, so they came to seek advice from Ru Xu.
Exactly as she had expected.
She could also know when Meng Zi reached that end.
[Retrieving Mao’s Tomato Timer Countdown: 38th second.]
“Useless thing.”
The old Ru Xu cultivator in front of her showed a flash of impatience and agitation in his eyes.
“Can’t you see I’m busy here? Another ten or so five-tier talismans have been sold, and customers are coming to collect them. If anything goes wrong, should I hand you over as compensation?!”
“That…”
The Taoist boy outside the door was stunned.
“Fool, is there only me in the entire auction pavilion?!”
The old Ru Xu cultivator was furious.
There was another Ru Xu cultivator. When the current one was unwilling or unable to leave, the second Ru Xu cultivator guarding the treasure vault would have to go to the spirit stone transaction room.
Thus, creating a 100-second vacancy in the rear guard.
Lin Shuang pretended to hear nothing, still observing the surroundings with a cautious expression.
But everything was going as she had planned.
A slight negative emotional memory wouldn’t defeat a Ru Xu cultivator, but it was enough to make him slack off.
—Why should I run around?
—I, who can only hide in the dark like a rat, haven’t enjoyed any blessings, yet I have to work hard in secret!
—Hmph.
Lin Shuang secretly nodded.
“It is, Master. Then I’ll go ask Elder Yun,” the Taoist boy hurriedly fled.
[Retrieving Mao’s Tomato Timer Countdown: 45th second.]
Next, it would depend on Meng Zi.
The Ru Xu cultivator on her side was almost taken care of.
“Where were we?” The old man with the downturned mouth was like a “rat underground,” never free, only fit to work in the sewers.
His yellow but sharp eyes fixed on her without blinking.
Lin Shuang hummed.
She understood. When a “more pitiful” assassin from the Annihilation Pavilion appeared, with lower cultivation, more enemies, and a Dao heart stained with more karmic entanglements, he couldn’t bear to let her leave too soon.
He wasn’t addicted to her story, but seeing her even dirtier, more wretched, and with a more hopeless future made him feel much better.
Lin Shuang immediately pressed her mask, gazing into his yellow eyes, her mouth slightly upturned beneath the mask.
“Talking about the hunt.”
“Living in the dark, never fighting openly.”
The old man listened intently, his eyes gleaming.
“One thousand, one thousand in bids,” Lin Shuang lowered her head, pressing the corner of her mouth that wanted to curl up. “It’s just a bit of teasing before the final strike.”
“When they let their guard down, confused and unaware, that’s when they die.”
The old man’s eyes gleamed with understanding, a hint of pleasure showing. “Even if others mock your bidding methods as despicable, you still obtained the precious treasures they couldn’t get!”
Just like him.
Of course not.
Shopping bargaining techniques are definitely not the same as what you do.
But seeing the old man immersed in “strong empathetic memories,” Lin Shuang lightly coughed. “May I now retrieve the items I’ve bid on?”
The old man instantly came to his senses and threw her an elaborately crafted Ji Zi pouch.
“I need to inspect it carefully. Is that okay?” Lin Shuang, as cautious as when she first entered.
The old man nodded. “Go ahead.”
She was just like them, hiding in the dark.
Once stepping into the sunlight, she would be surrounded and killed by thousands.
They must be cautious, again and again.
Especially when carrying precious treasures.
The old man watched Lin Shuang carefully inspect the Nine-Thunder Formation Disc and secretly nodded.
Her fluctuating Yuan condensation divine sense was extremely weak and fine, scanning every corner of the five-tier formation disc. She clearly intended to inspect for a long time, but he didn’t stop her.
He soon closed his eyes. “After you finish inspecting, pay the spirit stones and leave on your own. There’s a teleportation formation at the door.”
Too smooth, right?
Lin Shuang immediately nodded and operated her assigned divine sense No.102 to slowly inspect the formation disc, restraining the little happiness in her heart.
Her emotional fluctuations barely appeared in her eyes.
[Retrieving Mao’s Tomato Timer Countdown: 79th second.]
Stay for another hundred seconds?
The Ru Xu on Meng Zi’s side should have already gone.
The most difficult part of this plan was that the three of them were in different rooms. They couldn’t communicate through divine sense in front of the Ru Xu cultivators, so they couldn’t know each other’s progress in real-time.
If the timing didn’t match and the vacancy wasn’t created, Huangpu Yuan going to the back would result in all three being caught together.
But by now, there was no other way except to trust each other.
Waiting.
Patiently, until the next action moment aligned with the timing.
Lin Shuang thought calmly and carefully examined the Nine Layers Thunder Formation Disc in her hand.
Ah, here was a formation line she couldn’t see clearly in the private room before. Earlier, she had barely filled it in correctly based on her years of talisman-drawing experience.
But the remaining uncertain formation lines, or those far beyond her divine sense limit, indeed differed from the answers she had guessed.
Fortunately, she thought the probability of guessing correctly was low, so she left them blank and didn’t force herself to draw them.
Would the other party be able to detect the traces of her counterfeit?
Lin Shuang looked at the “correct answer” and checked her “counterfeit” work.
On the other side, in the spirit stone transaction room.
Meng Zi, wearing a mask and the broad-shouldered talisman, impatiently looked at the Ru Xu cultivator who had just arrived.
“Finished looking? When I got it, this ancient formation already had missing lines. If it were complete, would I come here to exchange for spirit stones? I could have sold it for a high price!”
“Don’t randomly activate the formation disc, I’m telling you. Tonight’s five-tier thunder formation for three hundred and fifty thousand, mine’s missing six or seven lines. It should be worth at least two hundred thousand, right?”
“This has already been used a few times. What if you use it and completely drain its spiritual energy? I wouldn’t even have a place to cry!”
The Ru Xu old man in front of him looked at Meng Zi, then frowned at the “counterfeit” formation disc in his hand.
It was indeed a five-tier formation.
And it indeed showed signs of spiritual energy dissipation and formation line wear.
Ancient secret treasures yielding intact talismans were extremely rare. Most were damaged, just like this broken one in his hand.
The more broken it was, the more authentic it seemed.
The old man carefully examined it.
It faintly had the spirit of thunder flashes.
The young man also brought along a five-tier broken illusion formation, a five-tier broken sword talisman… all half-ruined.
“May I ask, young man, which ancient secret treasure did you obtain this from?”
“There’s a ‘run’ character on this formation. Could it be from Zhao?”
Could it be from the same source as tonight’s batch?
“What Zhao? What run?”
Meng Zi’s eyes denied everything.
“These are all mine, they belong to me! They’re from my family!”
The old man: “…”
“All the dead guys’ Ji Zi pouches are mine!” Meng Zi pointed his thumb firmly at himself.
In the next moment, the old Ru Xu cultivator’s divine sense unknowingly enveloped Meng Zi.
But there was not a trace of lying in Meng Zi.
All three formation discs had the aura of ancient five-tier formations.
He couldn’t detect any abnormalities.
“How much do you want for these altogether?”
“At least eight hundred thousand spirit stones. If you don’t pay, I’m leaving!”
“Three hundred thousand.”
“Spit! Go to hell!”
Meng Zi jumped up, his masked face showing clear offense.
“You old bastard! Why don’t you just rob me—stealing five hundred thousand spirit stones from me! You’re even a Ru Xu cultivator, are you even real?!”
The old Ru Xu cultivator: “…”
His chest heaved, almost wanting to poke him to death with one finger.
“Three hundred and fifty thousand.”
Meng Zi took the three five-tier formation discs and walked away.
“Hey hey hey, young brother, we can negotiate. Why the rush? How about I give you three hundred thousand as a deposit first, and then ten thousand more if the goods are verified to be in good condition?”
Meng Zi came back. “Spit—”
The Ru Xu cultivator: “!”
Sitting in the second-floor private room, the masked Huangpu Yuan watched the Xiao’ai timer in the Ji Zi pouch.
[Xiao’ai Tomato Timer Countdown: 82nd second.]
He remained silent and waited.
Suddenly, he sensed a surge of furious agitation from the Ru Xu cultivator in the left room of the auction pavilion.
Huangpu Yuan instantly opened his eyes, his ink-black pupils momentarily widening as if stunned, sitting motionless.
At this very moment, Lin Shuang, who was in the room to the right, simultaneously sensed the overwhelming fury of the Nascent Soul cultivator next door. She couldn’t help but glance at Xiaoai’s timer.
[Qumao Tomato Clock is timing: 82 breaths.]
It’s beginning.
The moment for the three parties to synchronize their timing has arrived!
— Operation Qumao, Hunting the Poison Shadow, officially commences!
There will be three rounds of synchronized timing.
First, she witnessed the Nascent Soul cultivator nearly being called away—indicating Meng Zi’s arrival.
Second, the Nascent Soul cultivator flew into a rage—indicating that Meng Zi, who obstinately refused to surrender the spirit stone, had provoked the second Nascent Soul cultivator. This was the sign that the rear was now undefended!
It was also the signal for Huangpu Yuan to act!
He must have sensed it too.
Indeed, the most crucial aspect of the three-person plan was precisely to capitalize on Meng Zi’s authentic character—despite his fear of Nascent Soul cultivators, he would never compromise even a single spirit stone.
At the 82nd breath, Huangpu Yuan would act.
“I will revert to my true form for 60 breaths. Whether it succeeds or not, when time’s up, both of you retreat immediately, leaving the current Nascent Soul cultivator. Delay will bring disaster.”
Huangpu Yuan’s words from the private room echoed in her ears.
Lin Shuang slowly set down the fifth-grade Thunder Formation in her hand and poured 350,000 spirit stones into the stone bowl.
Then, cautiously, she picked up the fifth-grade Illusion Formation and continued her “inspection,” aligning her forged answers.
60 breaths, 59 breaths, 58 breaths…
Lin Shuang no longer looked at the tomato clock. Too frequent glances would arouse suspicion from the Nascent Soul elder in the room.
But for years, she had strictly followed timing schedules.
Even without looking at Xiaoai’s timer, her body had developed an accurate sense of timing.
She slowed her breathing, perfectly synchronizing with the countdown.
As she placed down the third item they had obtained—the sword talisman—when there were five breaths left until retreat time, she suddenly stood up.
With a mix of fear and reverence, she nodded toward the elderly cultivator seated before her with closed eyes, and handed over the spirit stones for the next two auction items.
“Thank you. We will return tomorrow to purchase the sixth-grade painting of ‘Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers.'”
3 breaths.
She finished speaking.
Step by step, she backed up to the wall before turning around and opening the door.
She softly closed it behind her.
1 breath.
0 breaths.
The timer reached zero.
Lin Shuang precisely stepped into the teleportation formation at the door, sending a mental message to Meng Zi.
[We’re leaving. Got the goods. Will come back tomorrow.]
Meng Zi, who was in the midst of bargaining over the exact amount of 792,320 spirit stones, suddenly shuddered as if jolted awake by the telepathic message.
“Cough, your price is great—done then. I won’t sell anymore.”
Nascent Soul Elder: “??”
Nascent Soul Elder: “!!”
“You old bastard! You want me to give up tens of thousands of spirit stones? Go fuck yourself!”
Meng Zi angrily rolled up three high-priced fakes and left.
The Nascent Soul elder’s fury instantly swept through the entire room.
It erupted throughout the pavilion.
— The third timing signal: the Nascent Soul cultivator’s second outburst!
Signaling the end of the 60 breaths.
— The storage bag and carving had already been retrieved.
Dabao must leave regardless of success or failure.
The Nascent Soul cultivator was about to return to the back.
Even though the three of them couldn’t easily exchange messages via mental transmission while the Nascent Soul cultivators were present,
they now understood each other’s movements.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators were their human timing devices!
After retrieving the goods, Lin Shuang directly exited the auction hall, perfectly matching a customer’s eagerness to leave after obtaining a precious treasure.
Meng Zi, having failed to negotiate a price, angrily stormed out of the auction hall, perfectly matching the fear of being ambushed and killed by a Nascent Soul cultivator.
But the Nascent Soul elder angrily slapped an 800,000 spirit stone storage bag toward him, “Kid, hand over the goods!”
Meng Zi looked at him taking three fakes with a ‘heartbroken’ expression, his emotions indescribably complex.
In an instant, fearing that Meng Zi might provoke him again by raising the price, the Nascent Soul elder struck him with a palm and pushed him out of the auction hall.
Still emotionally shaken, Meng Zi quickly met up with Lin Shuang, who had just arrived at the auction hall’s entrance.
He was still seething with anger, “That old bastard! Swindled me out of my spirit stones!”
Lin Shuang: “?”
Goodness.
800,000 for fakes? Was the auction hall’s Nascent Soul cultivator insane?
As soon as the two exited, they quickly moved to the calligraphy and painting stall on the street, a hundred steps away from the auction hall.
In an instant, they saw Huangpu Yuan slowly appear behind the stall, his figure like a water stain.
— The teleportation talisman Lin Shuang had left there before entering the auction hall.
No matter whether Huangpu Yuan had found the Poison Shadow or not, at the 60th breath, he could crush the teleportation talisman she gave him and teleport here.
Instantly escaping the auction hall.
“Go.”
Huangpu Yuan left just one word.
Then instantly crushed the teleportation talisman in his hand.
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi did the same.
All three of them now held a thick stack of teleportation talismans.
Teleport one street, half a street, one street… the three of them seemed like checkers, gradually teleporting away.
Along the way, they also changed out of the clothes they had worn in the Vanishing Pavilion.
Now appearing as ordinary cultivators.
“Damn brat!? What are you doing!?”
The Nascent Soul cultivator, already annoyed from haggling with Meng Zi, returned to the treasure vault in a bad mood.
In an instant, he saw the temporary guardian, a Lianshen cultivator, with glazed eyes like melted cheese, blushing cheeks hugging a stone pillar, muttering, “Handsome man… kiss me…”
The Nascent Soul elder glared, instantly striking him away!
The Lianshen cultivator spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious.
The Nascent Soul elder rushed into the treasure vault, only to find the main door wide open, several treasure shelves, couches… everything gone.
The tribute transmission array for the higher-ups had already been activated.
Inside it lay a stack of fourth-grade auction items—Thunder Talismans.
As the teleportation array activated, the hundred talismans vanished in an instant. At that moment, several rumbles of thunder faintly connected, the talismans triggered, and with a loud bang.
The Nascent Soul elder took a step back, his face pale.
“…It’s over…”
Boom—continuous thunderclaps echoed in the projection.
[What’s going on?]
[? What happened? Where’s that explosion from?! Near Wanseng Gate? Qidan Sect, the cultivation market?]
[…Baihua Sect! The commentary!]
[Ah! At a critical moment, what use do I have for commentary?!]
Zhao Keran, still in the auction hall, had been reminiscing about the assassin she saw earlier, the heroic figure she was about to emulate, when she was startled by the thunder and the running Daoist apprentices.
She immediately pulled out her competition projection stone.
Seeing the disciples’ comments, she instantly stood up.
She cast a spell to awaken Zhou Xuanwu, who had just entered meditation again, and Zhao Ming, who was bidding in the auction and also sensed something was wrong.
“Something’s happened. Let’s go!”
Zhao Keran, the fastest learner, prided herself on being an eighth-level scholar, decisive when needed.
She dragged her two elder brothers out of the auction hall in a flash. As she turned back, she saw the two Nascent Soul cultivators in the auction hall already in the air, their faces furious, chasing eastward.
East?
Was it the area of Shanhai Sect or Baihua Sect?
“Oh no, it’s the Vanishing Pavilion’s base!” Zhao Ming immediately associated it with the three “Dabao” who had just left with the storage bags.
These three assassins had just left not long ago, and now the auction hall had an incident.
Zhao Ming felt a chill in her heart.
She wasn’t stupid. She quickly connected the dots—her senior sister had commissioned the three assassins from the Vanishing Pavilion to chase the Poison Shadow.
The last known location of the Poison Shadow was the cultivation market.
And the auction hall was right in the cultivation market.
Could it be that those three were the assassins who accepted her senior sister’s mission?
“Oh no.” Zhao Ming pressed her hand to her head.
Zhao Keran’s eyes sparkled, “My senior sister is amazing!”
Zhao Ming: “?”
“I knew it. My senior sister wouldn’t just lie there. What a brilliant move, killing two birds with one stone!”
“My senior sister, miles away, lying in wait, lured in two Nascent Soul cultivators.”
“!!”
The mission was to capture the Poison Shadow.
But they exceeded expectations.
The Vanishing Pavilion was merely the bait.
“This is what it means to act fast enough to attract double the enemies.”
Zhao Ming: “…”
Zhou Xuanwu, who had just woken from meditation: “…”
Zhao Keran immediately wanted to head east, with Zhao Ming and the others anxiously following.
At this moment, inside a tavern opposite the Vanishing Pavilion’s base.
‘Lin Shuang,’ ‘Huangpu Yuan,’ ‘Meng Zi’ seemed to have just awakened, instantly coming alive.
They set aside their novels, spirit stones, and treasures.
“Hmm? What’s happening at the cultivation market?”
“Don’t know.”
“Strange, why is there thunder?”
The three of them, like the disciples watching the projection, seemed completely unaware of the thunder, looking lost and innocent.
Standing opposite the three paper substitutes, Huangpu Yuan’s pitch-black phoenix eyes gazed toward the direction of Shanhai Sect, his expression mocking.
[Xiaoai No. 2 (Dabao): I had the Lianshen cultivator send over four hundred Thunder Talismans.]
Meng Zi: “…How much would that cost?”
Lin Shuang: “…Dabao, you really do have high-level charm techniques.”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
The thunderclap’s origin was precisely the contact point of the human cultivator colluding with the evil sect.
Later, whoever’s residence or body bore traces of thunder would be marked as guilty.
No matter what excuses they made afterward!
“Excellent work.” Lin Shuang gave him a thumbs-up.
A single arrow, multiple targets.
They completed the Poison Shadow mission, advanced to this trial level, and won this round of competition among inner disciples.
They toppled the auction hall’s base. Even if the tribute was canceled, they had pinpointed a certain black hand!
“Where’s the Poison Shadow?”
Huangpu Yuan looked at Lin Shuang, pointing to his storage bag.
Lin Shuang’s lips twitched. No way—he’s in the cauldron again?
But in an instant, she and Meng Zi watched Huangpu Yuan shake his storage bag, spilling out one giant cocoon after another.
Not just any cocoons, but those produced by the Yuan-Nurturing Silkworms gifted by the Zhao family elder—capable of sealing the Yuan Dan cultivation base.
Within the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, Yuan Dan cultivators would be unable to draw upon the power of their Dantian.
Now, one by one, snow-white round cocoons rolled out—five, ten, twenty…
“So many?”
There were many evil cultivators hiding in the auction hall’s treasure vault.
So many people!
Curious and excited, Meng Zi crouched down and pressed his face against a cocoon, trying to peer inside.
As Huangpu Yuan was about to speak, his phoenix eyes suddenly shifted, and Lin Shuang instantly began drawing talismans.
“He’s coming.”
“Who’s coming?”
“The auction hall Nascent Soul cultivator who you enraged, who will flay you alive if he catches you.”
“!”
Meng Zi instantly broke into a cold sweat and was pulled into teleportation.
The three paper substitutes also vanished.
In an instant, they appeared in the Vanishing Pavilion’s general store across from the tavern.
[? Why is Lin Shuang going to the Vanishing Pavilion at a time like this?]
[What, could it be that the Vanishing Pavilion completed the evil sect mission?]
[So fast…]
[Hmm? My senior brother said there was an incident at the auction hall earlier, a thunderclap. Could it be the Vanishing Pavilion’s doing?]
[Because of Lin Shuang’s mission? Did the Vanishing Pavilion cause such a commotion?]
Countless discussions filled the projection.
But in an instant, the first screen showed ‘Lin Shuang’ and the three others facing off against the three Vanishing Pavilion assassins.
And cordially communicating, handing over the mission.
“The Poison Shadow has been captured.” An elderly voice spoke.
Then, one of the assassins tossed out several round, snow-white cocoons.
[!]
[?]
[Zhao family’s cocoons?]
The assassin with shoulders like double doors stood facing ‘Lin Shuang.’
In a peculiar, effeminate voice, he spoke,
“You can extract some of the mission spirit stones using these cocoons. Perfect timing.”
‘Lin Shuang’ exclaimed in awe, “Senior assassins, you’re so clever.”
[!]
[…In the end, it was the ‘Qingshui Sect’ that captured the Poison Shadow.]
[Without visiting the Zhao family, they wouldn’t have obtained the cocoons to imprison the evil cultivator Yuan Dan.]
[Everything’s connected.]
Then the three assassins took a step forward, patting the shoulders of ‘Lin Shuang’ and the others in front of the Vanishing Pavilion shopkeeper’s gaze.
“Thank you.”
“If it weren’t for this mission, we couldn’t have completed 13 minor missions at once.”
Shopkeeper: “?”
[?]
Then the elderly assassin, the double-door assassin, and the high-heeled assassin all threw their Vanishing Pavilion badges at the shopkeeper.
“Submitting the mission. Clerk, please confirm.”
“We’ll come back for them on our next mission!”
“I’m Assassin Numbers Five, Six, and Seven.”
“I’m Storage Bag.”
After the two spoke, the third remained silent.
Quickly, the high-heeled one replaced him.
“He’s Dabao.”
The three instantly left the general store.
“Hmm? Does the Vanishing Pavilion’s procedure take so long?”
‘Lin Shuang’ spoke, “In that case, I’ll go outside and sit.”
Shopkeeper: “?”
‘Lin Shuang’ and the three others also left.
“Hey, Clerk, when you find the Poison Shadow, please toss it out.” ‘Meng Zi’ stumbled slightly before leaving, barely regaining his balance. “Damn, the pain of spending money is so tormenting.”
[???]
In an instant, ‘Lin Shuang’ squatted outside on the stone pavement, poking at the ground, drawing circles.
A mirror-like lake instantly covered the entire projection.
Ink-like rockeries flew across.
Blocking the entire projection screen.
“Lin Shuang, you really don’t have a painter’s talent. Don’t force it.”
“No rush, no rush. Just started learning.”
As the voice fell, the projection returned to normal, showing Lin Shuang and the three others squatting outside the tavern.
She continued drawing circles on the ground while watching the clerk handle the mission items.
A whole row of snow-white cocoons lay on the ground.
The clerk of the Vanishing Pavilion was merely an ordinary Yuan Dan cultivator, capable only of forcibly slicing open each cocoon one by one from the outside.
The first snow-white cocoon was sliced open, and a man with a scar and a sealed dantian rolled out.
The moment he landed, his Yuan Dan eighth-stage aura erupted.
“Who imprisoned me—”
But in an instant, he saw his surroundings, “Hmm? Where am I?”
Lin Shuang instantly stood up, glancing at the wanted poster in her hand. “Hmm? This isn’t the Poison Shadow? Who is he?”
[???]
The clerk of the Vanishing Pavilion was also momentarily stunned, pointing into the void and opening the Yuan Dan wanted list.
Instantly—information popped up.
Hu Sha, ranked 103rd on the Yuan Dan Evil Cultivator Wanted List, Yuan Dan Stage 8, a notorious bandit with a bounty of 12,500 spirit stones.
Storage Bag bounty of 8,000 spirit stones!
[!]
[This name… isn’t this the evil cultivator from the Queen Layer mission, ranked fourth on the Qidan Sect’s wanted list at the Yuan Dan eighth stage!? Could the Shanhai Sect’s records be mistaken? Had he been concealing his true identity all along?]
[What, the Qing Shui Sect has completed tasks for other sects again?]
[…]
“Hey, no, that’s not our target.”
Lin Shuang shook her head, disappointedly squatting down.
Meng Zi, however, his eyes lit up; this guy was valuable.
Jiang Yang Da Dao, Pu Yuan glanced disinterestedly at the ants crawling on the ground.
“Hmm?”
The shopkeeper from the Annihilation Pavilion sliced open another snow-white silkworm cocoon.
Instantly, a ferocious male and female with only one arm each rolled out.
Meng Zi’s eyes lit up again, “This looks worth at least 20,000 spirit stones!”
The male and female pair: “?”
The shopkeeper frowned and clicked on the Wanted List for Ningyuan cultivation once more.
Instantly, the 54th and 55th names flew out, with a reward as high as 36,000!
[This… this is the Evil Pair, Gu Yi and Bao Qing!]
[?? They were the ones who failed the 5,000-layer task at the Monks’ Temple just before I came to watch the competition!]
[???]
[Why is the Myriad Monks Sect speaking?]
[Darn, a 5,000-layer task? The Evil Pair at the ninth Condensing Yuan layer, their spiritual consciousness fused, combining their techniques, rivaling Lianshen cultivation! Wait, how is the Myriad Monks Sect speaking?]
[…Venerable Sir, do you have a misunderstanding about the Myriad Monks Sect? We practice the Silent Meditation, but it doesn’t mean we can’t input spiritual thoughts into projections to form words.]
[Darn! The monks are crafty, secretly watching all along! Pretending to be deaf until now?]
[Nice! The Qing Shui Sect has completed the 5,000-layer trial of the Myriad Monks Sect again?]
[…]
The shopkeeper from the Annihilation Pavilion was also stunned,
He continued slicing the cocoons and finally shook out a pair of unconscious children.
[Are these the lost children captured by Du Ying!?]
He continued slicing cocoons and shook the silk threads.
This time, a group of Ningyuan cultivators burst forth!
[??]
[What’s going on, are these three assassins going to the market to stock up!?]
[Is this a grand meeting of evil cultivators!? Did these three assassins wipe them all out!?]
[Hmm? No, why is this wearing the robe of my Shan Hai Sect disciple!?]
[That can’t be right, why is there a robe from my Ming Chong Sect in there!?]
After shaking all of them out, from the cocoons fell a pile of miscellaneous spiritual treasures and more than ten disciples dressed in sect robes, looking listless.
Looking closely, there were disciples from the Qing Shui Sect, Shan Hai Sect, Qi Dan Sect…
The shopkeeper from the Annihilation Pavilion was completely stunned.
These clearly didn’t look like evil cultivators.
“Hmm? Gang Yi?”
Meng Zi outside the door was also stunned.
Just now, when Pu Yuan was pulling out the cocoons, he couldn’t see inside, only now did he get a clear look.
How come there’s Gang Yi too?
Lin Shuang narrowed her eyes, immediately standing up from the ground.
She didn’t even draw her circles anymore.
“When Gang Er was captured back to the clan, Gang Yi was accompanying his lover back to the western homeland. He probably won’t return for another three days.”
“I had to contact the deep-sea fish demon…”
Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows, instantly scanning the listless faces of these unconscious disciples.
In a flash of insight, she suddenly thought of the theft case involving the Qing Shui Sect’s Dao boys.
At that time, in the ruined temple, the purple robe, along with the Tian Ji Order, there was a list that fell out.
— Gang Yi: Failed to enter the cave dwelling, remained conscious when infiltrating
— Meng Zi: Book of formations, pending
— Pu Yuan: Treasure cauldron, pending
— Lin Shuang: Qi Transformation, suspected treasure? Pending
— Yuan He: Manual of techniques, pending
Lin Shuang instantly pressed her hand to her forehead.
At that time, the biggest mystery of the theft was why the value of the stolen items varied greatly and wasn’t always the most valuable.
The thief ignored someone like Pu Yuan, a ‘weakling with lots of money,’ for years until he came out of the 2,000-layer Zhen Chuan…
The thief’s target had always been disciples who had just broken through or returned from completing high-level tasks.
The old man’s intention was not on the wine.
From the beginning, the evil cultivators’ target was people!
Not the treasures!
In an instant, all the doubts now connected in Lin Shuang’s mind.
Inside the Annihilation Pavilion, the disciples from various sects who had rolled out of the cocoons were unconscious but breathing steadily, seemingly unharmed.
Meanwhile, several Ning Yuan-level evil cultivators who had fallen out of the cocoons had their dantian restored to combat readiness instantly!
After glancing around, they all focused their furious gazes on the three people at the door—Lin Shuang’s group.
“Who are you!”
“Dare to capture us!”
They glanced at the unconscious disciples and scattered treasures, then at Lin Shuang’s group, instantly realizing their evil deeds had been exposed!
Either die, or fight their way out!
Instantly, the evil cultivators like Du Ying, the evil pair, and Huo Sha who had rolled out of the cocoons all rushed towards Lin Shuang, who seemed the weakest.
Lin Shuang closed her eyes.
“It’s you—”
The evil cultivators: “?”
The theft case was indeed due to tributes!
The tribute wasn’t treasures, but gifted disciples!
Lin Shuang’s eyes suddenly seemed to ignite, her gaze glowing like surging waves.
“You, who wasted so much of my time, for your crimes… deduction!”
“The missing spiritual treasures, the auction house… you wasted so many of my itineraries!”
She was furious!
Lin Shuang’s dantian energy instantly rose level by level.
She raised her hand, and two wide swords came whistling through the air!
“Wait!”
Meng Zi shouted anxiously, “Don’t cut their robes, we can still resell them if we tear them off!”
At the same time, he slashed left and right with his blades, continuously attacking her and Pu Yuan.
Evil cultivators: “??”
Lin Shuang’s cultivation level soared from the seventh layer of Ning Yuan to the peak of Ning Yuan!
Pu Yuan’s cultivation level also rose from the seventh layer of Ning Yuan to the peak of Ning Yuan!
Evil cultivators: “…”
[!]
[Here it comes! Tremble, evil cultivators!]
[What did I say before? Next time the Qing Shui Sect meets evil cultivators—wait, let me inflate first!]
[…]
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